Rich Beem changes his mind about whether Tiger Woods will captain the 2027 Ryder Cup

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Rich Beem has said that he now has a different view on whether Tiger Woods will be the Team USA captain for the 2027 Ryder Cup at Adare Manor.

At this stage, it’s not clear who’ll be leading either side into the next tournament. There are no surprises, though, that Tiger Woods is considered a strong favourite to get the job for Team USA.

Ahead of the event in December, Woods told reporters at the Hero World Challenge that he hadn’t spoken with anyone from the PGA of America about taking up the captaincy. But just a few months later, before the Genesis Invitational last week, his response hinted that something may have changed.

Rich Beem shifts stance on Tiger Woods’ Ryder Cup captaincy

The 50-year-old revealed he has been in touch with the PGA of America, who reached out to get his thoughts on the role. But he made it clear that he wouldn’t accept the position unless he felt fully able to commit.

Woods now serves as chairman of the Future Competition Committee on the PGA Tour and still has hopes of playing again.

Speaking on the Sky Sports Golf Podcast, Beem said: “I’m going to say no. I think I’d have a completely different answer if you asked me that three months ago, but right now, no.”

He added: “Because I think that if he were to take the captaincy, he would have cemented his place as the captain already and said, ‘boys, we’re going’. We talk about the Ryder Cup all the time, but I think it would put the boys in a different frame of mind, even as far in advance, and I think he’d be like:

‘We’re not going to mess around. We’re going to go over there with every intent on taking this cup back on foreign soil’, and getting our stuff together going forward because he’s not going to accept losing.

What happens if Woods turns down the captaincy?

If Woods decides not to accept this time, it raises the obvious question of who will step in to fill the role.

Keegan Bradley was handed the job after a long wait for a decision from Woods, and it felt like a bit of a gamble by the PGA of America. And as things stand, Bradley hasn’t ruled out doing it again.

Brandt Snedeker may use this year’s Presidents Cup as an opportunity to throw his hat into the ring, while Stewart Cink is another name that is bound to be part of the conversation.

After how things played out under Bradley, there’s also a chance the PGA will look for a more straightforward appointment next time around — unless, of course, Tiger wants it.